


More Than Love

by InsightfulInsomniac



Series: The BoB guys with kids. Enough said. [2]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Fluff, Joe totally gets tattoos from his kids, Kids, M/M, Married Life, Nothing but pure fluff, Original Character(s), Tattoos, so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 20:12:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10906641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsightfulInsomniac/pseuds/InsightfulInsomniac
Summary: She laughs loudly as Lieb tickles her sides, almost out of breath when he stops. "Papa, did it hurt when Daddy drew on you?""Huh?" He questions, then notices her attention is back to his tattoo. "Oh, no. Daddy didn't write on me, he just wrote on a piece of paper so a tattoo artist could copy it."She sighs disappointedly. "Hmph. I wanted to draw on you, but I don't want it to go away. Like Daddy's words.""You want to give me a tattoo?" Joe laughs almost amusedly, then notices her very serious expression. "Hey, if you can make something nice, maybe I could get it drawn on. Permanently."





	More Than Love

**Author's Note:**

> I actually got the idea for this fic from a Buzzfeed video about a mother getting a tattoo drawn by her daughter. I thought it was super sweet, and I think that Joe would totally do it. This fic is pure, sickly sweet fluff. 
> 
> Also, the quote "We loved with a love that was more than love" is from Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee."

"Papa, look at my ocean! Do you like it?" Annabel asks excitedly, shoving a crayon-covered paper in Joe's face.

He studies it for a minute, pointing to the bright yellow sun drawn carefully in the corner of the paper. "It's beautiful, Annie! Looks just like the real thing. I like the color of the sun."

She giggles at her father's praise, beaming widely. "I used the yellow crayon and the orange crayon together for the sun. You said mixing colors makes pretty new colors."

Lieb chuckles, ruffling his five-year-old daughter's dark hair softly. "That's right! You're becoming quite the artist, Annie."

"Can you put it on the fridge?" She asks sweetly. "I want Daddy to see it too. He likes the ocean."

"I will right now," he promises, glancing out at his husband and two sons, the trio splashing in the shallow water of the gentle tide. "Either stay on the porch or go to Daddy, okay?"

She nods, her dark curls bouncing. "'Kay."

Easily finding a colorful magnet in Web's stash of craft supplies, Lieb pins the new addition to their personal art gallery in between the family portrait Finn drew in his first grade class the year prior and the monster truck race Will drew a few months ago. He steps back, admiring his kids' work. While Web would insist that he taught them to be creative, they both know that Lieb's artistic background primarily inspired their children.

One of his favorite activities to do with his children is to sit down with some paper and colored pencils, just coloring together. All of his kids, he's proud to say, are very artistic, but Annie took to art even faster than her brothers.

Grabbing two cherry popsicles, Lieb returns to the back porch of their beachside house, unwrapping and handing his daughter the sweet treat.

She grins as Joe sits down, scrambling into his lap. Not ten seconds later, a slightly-sticky and red hand is tracing the scrawling words tattooed underneath Lieb's left collarbone.

"Papa, what does this mean again?"

" _Wir liebten mit einer Liebe, die mehr als Liebe war_. We loved with a love that was more than love," he replies tenderly, meeting her bright blue eyes with his own. "Daddy said that to me when we got married."

"I like it," she decides. "Daddy must love you a whole lot to love you more than love."

Lieb chuckles; Annie had always been sharp as a tack. "Yeah, it's probably a whole lot. You know, Annie, it's from a poem. You're named after that poem."

"Daddy told me. He told me it's a sad poem about love but that it's really pretty."

"Your Daddy's right," Joe agrees. "But you, Miss Annabel Lee, are not sad. You are the happiest girl alive."

She laughs loudly as Lieb tickles her sides, almost out of breath when he stops. "Papa, did it hurt when Daddy drew on you?"

"Huh?" He questions, then notices her attention is back to his tattoo. "Oh, no. Daddy didn't write on me, he just wrote on a piece of paper so a tattoo artist could copy it."

She sighs disappointedly. "Hmph. I wanted to draw on you, but I don't want it to go away. Like Daddy's words."

"You want to give me a tattoo?" Joe laughs almost amusedly, then notices her very serious expression. "Hey, if you can make something nice, maybe I could get it drawn on. Permanently."

Annie nods vehemently. "'Kay!"

And just like that, she's back to concentrating on her next design, despite Joe's suggestions to join her brothers in the sparkling sea.

"What're you drawing, Annie?" David asks, running a hand through his windblown hair. Finn and Will plop down at the table across from Annie, grabbing paper and crayons from the pile.

"A tattoo for Papa," she replies without looking up.

Web turns to Lieb, his eyebrows raised. Joe shrugs. "She said she wanted to draw on me but not have it go away, and I said she could."

"I think that's cute," David smiles, pecking his husband on the cheek.

"I wanna draw something on Papa too!" Will, Annie's twin cries cheerfully, beaming up at his fathers. "Can I? Can I?"

Joe grins. "Sure, sport. Finn, do you want to make one too?"

"Yeah," the dirty blond-haired boy answers, preoccupied with something obviously bad tasting. "Daddy, there's sand in my mouth."

Web sighs, moving towards the house. "I'll get some water to rise out your mouth."

He returns shortly, handing his seven-year-old son a cup of water. "Swish it around and spit it out. Hey, Annie, I saw your new drawing on the fridge! I love it!"

"'S the ocean, Daddy. I know you like the ocean."

David smiles brightly. "I do like the ocean; thank you, sweetheart!"

"I'm done, Papa," Annie comments just a few minutes later, carefully coloring a few more strokes of blue before setting her crayon down. "Do you like it?"

Joe leans forward to look over Web's shoulder; his husband had just settled happily in Joe's lap. "Annie, it's beautiful," he breathes, utterly taken aback by her drawing.

On the piece of paper was a carefully drawn cornflower, its detailed petals filled in with the perfect blue. The crayon runs slightly outside of the lines and the green stem is a bit too curvy, but Lieb doesn't notice that at all.

"Darling, why'd you think to draw that?" David asks, just as stunned as Joe.

"Papa always gives you these flowers on your annivers-ry," she remarks nonchalantly. "And I think they're pretty."

Web and Lieb share a look. Their anniversary had been two weeks ago, and, as per tradition, Lieb had bought Web a bouquet of blue cornflowers. They had sat on the kitchen table until they wilted, but neither of them expected their five-year-old daughter to take such notice of them.

"Sign your name on the paper, Annie Lee," Joe instructs affectionately, and she does as he asks. "Where should I put it on my body?"

She studies him for a minute before pointing to the underside of his left forearm. "There."

"I want mine to go on your butt," Will sniggers, and Finn giggles with him.

Web chuckles. "Let's put yours somewhere other than Papa's butt, okay?"

"Why?" He asks sadly, a little pout starting to form.

"Because I want people to see it," Lieb responds. "I want to show people the great artwork my son created."

"I'm drawing a shark," Finn remarks. "Put it on your other arm, Papa."

"Okay, buddy," Joe laughs as Web's face lights up. "You made Daddy very happy."

"Daddy read me a book about sharks last night before bedtime," he replies. "They're cool."

"Write your name with yours too," David instructs. "Papa can put your name next to your drawing."

"'M done!" Will calls, holding up his paper. "It's you and Daddy, Papa. I decided 'tween that and pancakes."

Joe laughs. "Looks great, sport! Write your name like Daddy asked you to."

"Should I write Will or William?" He asks. "Or William Alexander Liebgott-Webster, but that's really long and my hand hurts."

"Will's perfect," David smiles. "Where should Papa put yours?"

"Top of his arm. Above Finn's shark."

"Can we get ice cream?" Annie asks innocently, looking doe-eyed up at her parents.

"You just had a popsicle!" Lieb laughs, and she giggles. "Maybe after dinner."

"Papa, when are you getting the tattoos?" Finn asks curiously.

"I'll call tonight and see if I can get them tomorrow," Joe responds, nudging Web. "C'mon, let's go get dinner."

The next afternoon, after a few hours in the tattoo parlor, Lieb emerges to three small children and one very large child crowding him.

"Lemme see!" Will begs, pulling at Joe's hands. He obliges, turning his arms so the tattoos are visible, each small drawing accomplished by the hand-written name of its artist.

"They look amazing, Joe," Web breathes, beaming up at his husband. Lieb grins, kissing him quickly.

Annie moves to touch her flower, but Lieb stops her. "Hold on, honey. We need to wait until they're healed, then you can touch them."

She nods, grasping Joe's hand instead. "'Kay. It's really pretty, Papa."

He smiles warmly. "Just like you, Annie Lee."

**Author's Note:**

> Web and Lieb would be incredible parents, just saying. I so want to do more fics with their kids.


End file.
